Youth Policy

Creativity and culture have been identified by the new EU Youth Strategy as a key field of action for the well-being of young people. In this context, EU Member States and the Commission are working together in order to increase opportunities for young people to experience culture and to develop their talent and creative skills. This includes making new technologies readily available to empower young people’s creativity, promoting specialised training in culture, new media and intercultural competences for youth workers, or encouraging partnerships between culture & creative sectors and youth organisations & youth workers.

 What is the EU doing in the field of youth creativity and culture?

 One of the long term strategic objectives of the Strategic Framework for European cooperation in education and training is enhancing creativity and innovation, including entrepreneurship, at all levels of education and training. In this context, a first challenge is to promote the acquisition by all citizens of transversal key competences such as digital competence, learning to learn, a sense of initiative and entrepreneurship, and cultural awareness. A second challenge is to ensure a fully functioning knowledge triangle of education-research-innovation.

 The 2009 European Year of Creativity and Innovation aimed to raise awareness of the importance of creativity and innovation for personal, social and economic development. The Manifesto for Creativity and Innovation in Europe , which is one of the key outcomes of this Year, stresses that Europe’s future depends on the imagination and creativity of its people.

 Access of young people to culture – as actors or users – is an essential condition for their full participation in society.

 The 2008-2010 work plan of the European Agenda for Culture includes promoting youth access to culture as a priority area for action.

Youth access to culture was also the subject of a European study released in July 2010. The study presents concrete practices, such as financial incentives to cultural consumption, projects using new technologies or projects engaging young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in culture. The study illustrates inter alia the need for building bridges between school, family, youth workers and community, as well as between the administrations in charge of these fields.

 A civil society platform on access to culture has been established in the framework of a structured dialogue with the cultural sector at EU level. A Working Group on developing synergies with education (especially arts education) has also been set up.

 EU Culture Ministers have adopted Council conclusions on promoting a Creative Generation with many practical recommendations to Member States and the Commission, in particular to include a ‘Children and Young People’ perspective in culture policies.

 The EU Youth in Action programme and the Culture Programme support many projects offering opportunities for young people to experience culture and develop their creativity.